1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process cartridge able to be mounted on and dismounted off an electrophotographic image-forming apparatus body and an electrophotographic image-forming apparatus capable of mounting or dismounting the process cartridge.
2. Description of Related Art
Wherein the electrophotographic image-forming apparatus means an apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium using an electrophotographic image-forming process. Examples of the electrophotographic image-forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (a laser-beam printer and an LED printer, for example), a facsimile machine, and a word processor.
The process cartridge means a cartridge integrated with a charging means as process means, developing means or cleaning means, and an electrophotographic sensitive member to be mounted on and dismounted off the electrophotographic image-forming apparatus body. Furthermore, the process cartridge means a cartridge integrated with at least one of charging means as process means, developing means, and cleaning means; and the electrophotographic sensitive member to be mounted on and dismounted off the electrophotographic image-forming apparatus body. The process cartridge also means a cartridge integrated at least with charging means as process means and the electrophotographic sensitive member to be mounted on and dismounted off the electrophotographic image-forming apparatus body.
In an electrophotographic image-forming apparatus using an electrophotographic image-forming process, a process cartridge system has been adopted in that a cartridge integrated with an electrophotographic sensitive member and processing means for acting on the processing unit is mounted on and dismounted off an electrophotographic image-forming apparatus body.
According to this process cartridge system, since the maintenance of the apparatus can be done by a user oneself without depending on a service personnel, operationality has been largely improved. Therefore, the cartridge system has been widely used in the electrophotographic image-forming apparatus.
For example, the process cartridge is mounted on or dismounted off the apparatus body by a user oneself. Thus, in order to improve the operationality when the process cartridge is mounted on the apparatus body, the process cartridge may be provided with a handle member attached to upward protrude from the process cartridge frame (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-271274). Also, a toner container may be provided with handles arranged on entire regions in the axial direction of an electrophotographic sensitive member, and an operator may grip this handle (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,154,623).